Centauri Republic
The Centauri Republic is the ruling governmental structure of the Centauri race and a major galactic power. Government The Centauri Republic is a major galactic power and noted for being the first alien government with which Earth had open contact. The Republic is based on Centauri Prime but spans a number of other colonies and worlds. Despite its "Republic" moniker, the Centauri Republic is a nominal constitutional monarchy headed by an Imperial family. It is ruled by an Emperor or Empress, or, in the event of an interregnum, a Regent. The Emperor/Empress has enormous power in Centauri society, and all Centauri are taught to be deferential to the ruling monarch. The Centauri are not a democracy; the average citizen has little or no political power within the Republic. The Centauri Republic allows the practice of slavery, and owning slaves is legal within the Republic. Royal Court The Royal Court is an assembly of nobles directly in the Emperor's employ. Many of the members in the Royal Court hold some of the highest government positions and the house is often regarded as the true stepping stone towards the throne. Ministry Positions *Ministry of War *Ministry of Defense *Ministry of Intelligence *Ministry of Transportation *Ministry of Security Centaurum The only real check on the monarch's power, the Centaurum is an assembly of Legators. These are the leaders of the major noble houses formed in kind of parliament, or Senate. Nobles able to manipulate the Centaurum successfully are able to wield great power. The Centaurum can vote to overturn a decree of the monarch although this would appear to be a rare practice. An exception to the power of the Centaurum came about during the brief reign of the Emperor Cartagia, whose personal madness drove him to have his enemies in the Centaurum assassinated, allowing him to rule despotically. Populum The Populum is the other ruling House of the Republic and represents the official voice of the Great and Lesser Houses. Roughly equivalent to a "House of Representatives" in some Earth political systems. It's members hold the title Vocator. Titles and Positions * Emperor: Hereditary title. The supreme ruler of the Centauri Republic. * Regent: Old title of authority used in place of an Emperor when there is no clear line of succession or heir apparent.Epiphanies * Empress: A ceremonial title for the wife of the Emperor. While like all titles held by Centauri females it holds no official or political authority within the government, it nonetheless entitles the holder to a great deal of privilege and money.The Long Night of Centauri Prime - (p.249 & 252) * Princess: Title bestowed on a daughter of the Emperor. In 2029 a young princess ordered that a Guard is to stand over and protect the spot where she had noticed the first flower of spring poking up through the snow in the Royal Gardens. The Princess soon forgets about it and since the order is never countermanded a guard was assigned to that post every day for 200 years.A Tragedy of Telepaths * Prince Regent: Unlike a Regent, the title of Prince Regent appears to be used in a more ceremonial capacity, it is seemingly given to a Prince of the Royal Bloodline who is highest in the line of succession; such as the Prince Regent Dius Vintari.Babylon 5: The Lost Tales *'Prime Minister': First in line of authority to the Emperor. During the reign of Emperor Turhan Malachi served as Prime Minister until his assassination 2259.The Coming of Shadows The position was later filled by Londo Mollari in 2261 until he was crowned Emperor in 2262.The Long Night * Prophetess Supreme: Title bestowed by the Emperor himself to a chosen Prophetess who traditionally resides in Tuwain. The title is a great honor and comes with a great deal of money and privilege. The tradition dates back to Emperor Morell who's life was saved by a Prophetess of Tuwain.Shadow of His Thoughts *'Minister': Appointed to the Royal Court, often by the Emperor himself to run a particular aspect of daily business. Notable Centauri Ministers have included Cholini of the Ministry of Defense, Minister of Protocol Milo Virini, Durano of the Ministry of Intelligence and Minister Virini. *'Vocator': A member of the Populum.Babylon 5 Scripts - Other Voices: Vol 3 (Babylon 5 Alien Guide) *'Legator': A member of the Centaurum. *'Lord': Hereditary title, usually the head of a Noble House and a member of the Centaurum. *'Lady': Technically the female equivalent of a Lord, though the title itself holds no actual power so much as a degree of respect and privilege the title holder is afforded. The title is often no more than a sign of nobility.Signs and PortentsPoint of No Return *'Grand Fleet Admiral': Highest ranking fleet officer and a direct advisor to the Emperor. Grand Fleet Admiral Dromo held the position in 2262.The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD ROM) *'Guardsman Elite': Highest ranking Imperial Guardsman and a direct advisor to the Emperor. Guardsman Elite Tavastani held the position in 2262. Technology thumb|A Centauri made [[Centauri Assassination device|assassination device.]] The majority of Centauri innovation came from the Republic's golden age and as such more recent developments have tended towards refinement of already existing discoveries. Despite this, Centauri technology is very advanced in comparison most of the other Younger Races, the majority of which - save the Minbari - pale in comparison. Centauri tech may have a somewhat gaudy aestheticism, bordering on the impractical that some may interpret as weak or useless but it belies its very real and formidable capabilities. Like the Minbari, the Centauri have mastered artificial gravity and their warships are equipped with gravimetric engines. Military At the dawn of the Third Age, the Centauri fleet was among the most powerful in the known galaxy, second only to the Minbari, both in number and capabilities. Centauri armaments are especially formidable; employing mine launchers, missiles and high energy weapons that fire almost like projectiles—exploding, rather than slicing or disrupting their targets—there was very little that they could not handle.And All My Dreams, Torn AsunderMovements of Fire and ShadowIn the Beginning The Sentri class fighters, while designed to operate in both open space and planetary atmospheres, were surprisingly agile. While the Primus class battlecruisers are older than Vorchan class medium warships, they are very reliable and were more than capable of going toe-to-toe with almost any other single warship built by the younger races. From 2259 through to the end of 2262 the Centauri military saw a great expansion not seen for almost a century as the Republic became embroiled in a series of conflicts, staring with the Narn-Centauri War, the subsequent Wars of Aggression, providing support for Sheridan's forces in the Earth Alliance Civil War and the later Centauri War that culminated in the unsactioned Assault on Centauri Prime by Drazi and Narn forces.The Fall of NightBetween the Darkness and the LightThe Fall of Centauri Prime Even after that last defeat, the Centauri may have retreated but the Republic's war machine was by no means destroyed or stood down. Its size and power would remain a source for concern for the Interstellar Alliance, most especially those governments that shared a border with the Centauri Republic for the next several decades. Colonies thumb|Ragesh III under [[Invasion of Ragesh III|attack, 2258.]] As the Republic fell into decline it's chief industry switched from conquest and discovery to tourism. Taking advantage of their long recorded history and the fact that unlike the Minbari, they're not shy about sharing it with other races and allowing others to see the many wonders of their Republic. The Republic's two oldest colonies; Centauri Beta I and Immolan V represent the main centers of tourism that have been opened to visitation by the other races. The Republic also still maintains a number of agricultural and manufacturing colonies such as the farming colony at Ragesh III and the industrial colony on Tolonius VII. Since the end of the First Centauri Occupation of Narn, the Republic has also maintained a presence on the border of the Narn Regime. Outposts along the two governments' mutual border include the outpost at Quadrant 27 and the colony in Quadrant 1 and have been used to keeps a watch on Narn space. The Republic was also bordered by a number of independent outlying colonies and border worlds settled by Centauri hoping to start new lives for themselves. In the mid-to-late 2260s, the Prime Candidates took control of more than half a dozen such worlds, including Morbis and Nefua, using them as secret training facilities and munitions plants as part of Minister Durla's covert military build-up.Armies of Light and Dark - (p.206) In January 2271, Morbis and Nefua were the first targets to be bombed by the Centauri resistance movement under the direction of Ambassador Cotto.Armies of Light and Dark - (p.243) History The Elder Days of the Republic Centauri civilisation dates back many thousands of years before the Third Age, though perhaps the most defining period was the War of 20 Million Deaths; a period following first contact with the Xon. They were a race of sentient beings that had evolved and developed a civilisation of their own in parallel to the Centauri on the continent of Xonos.Armies of Light and Dark - (p.178) Isolated from one another by Centauri Prime's vast oceans, the two races remained unaware of one-another until one or both of them developed the technology to cross the oceans. The result of two such civilisations meeting was a disaster, akin to an alien first contact and both sides recognising the other as a supreme threat, sought to totally wipe the other from their homeworld.JMS post on GENIE - 2/28/1994 7:08:00 AM The conflict was long and bloody with both sides incurring staggering losses. To cope, the Centauri adopted a tradition; a Celebration of Life where each year they would count how many of their own people had survived and celebrate their good fortune. The tradition survived well into the Third Age, by which time it had become an elaborate feast where the participants would binge and purge until finally passing out.The Parliament of Dreams By 262 the Xon had finally been defeated and wiped out during the reign of Emperor Tuscano who also lead the Centauri to victory against the invading Shoggren.Day of the DeadThe Ragged Edge - Tuscano commissioned the palace guard "2000 years ago" Before he died Emperor Tuscano commissioned the very first Royal Palace and formed the Palace Guard, incorporating his seal into the buttons of their uniform. When the Palace was built, some water from the nearby river was sealed in an ornate urn and it became the tradition to give it to the heir to the throne when he or she came of age.Objects at Rest - The river flowed past the first palace "2000 years ago" According to Centauri tradition, as recorded in the "old books", Tuscano and the other Emperors of the Elder Days were proclaimed deities by the ancient gods and in exchange for loyalty, they were said to become immortal.The Hour of the Wolf Even two thousand years later, elaborate and ornate temples built in their names adjoined the Emperor's Palace drew millions of pilgrims and tourists each year with faithful Centauri still offering up prayers to the first Emperors. The Great Old Days of the Republic What followed was a period of great expansion and much celebrated glory. By the 13th Century the had stumbled across an ancient jumpgate at the outer edges of their system while exploring in their first early spaceships. Like others before them, once they unlocked the complex codes required to activate the jump gates, they set out to explore hyperspace and reverse engineer the technology for themselves.To Dream in the City of Sorrows With the rest of the galaxy now open to them the Republic began expanding in all directions, conquering whole systems and enslaving alien races.JMS post on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated - 2/12/1994 1:42:00 PMThe Gathering Still, though they controlled entire quadrants of space and little stood in their way, even the Centauri knew better than to try and oppose the powerful Minbari Federation.In the Beginning - Even at the height of the Republic, they never opposed the MinbariTo Dream in the City of Sorrows The Minbari were new to space travel during the First Shadow War The Conquest of Narn In 2109 the Republic invaded the Narn Homeworld. An agrarian world populated by what the Centauri considered to be a race of backwards, uncultured primitives. Initially the Narns welcomed them with open arms and the Centauri quickly took advantage of their technological superiority and eventually enslaved the population. Using them as slave labor as they began strip mining the planet's resources, devastating it's ecology and slowly turned the once green and verdant world into a dry, red, dust ravaged planet. The Narn fought back and by attrition gradually made the occupation more and more difficult for the Centauri to maintain.And Now For a Word - G'kar described the history of the occupation which began 150 years agoActs of Sacrifice Contact with Humans On Wednesday, April 7 2156, a Centauri vessel entering a system in a fairly uninteresting part of the galaxy that the Republic had never bothered much with before came across a planet populated by a primitive, pre-interstellar civilization called the Earth Alliance. Though they had begun to colonize nearby moons and planets, their system lacked a jumpgate and the Republic saw an opportunity for quick profit. Their civilization now past it's prime, the increasingly decadent Centauri became fascinated with the Humans and their abundance of art, trinkets and eccentricity and opened up trade with this new world, which included access to hyperspace. Initially the Republic leased time on their jumpgates before negotiating to sale of the technology for the Humans to build their own gates.The Long DarkThirdspace (movie) The thinking at the time was that the primitive humans would quickly annihilate themselves once they had purchased the Centauri's advanced technology. They believed that the humans would move too quickly for their own good and anticipated internal struggles and wars within the Earth Alliance that was at the time already on the verge of collapse. The plan was for Centauri Prime to secretly fund both sides and allow them to more or less obliterate each other, after which the Republic would step in and pick the pieces and incorporate Earth to their territory with little risk to Centauri interests and nothing but profit. Things however did not go according to plan as the Alliance held together, mostly out of fear of a galaxy full of heretofore unknown and powerful alien threats.Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi CorpsOut of the Darkness Around this time, the Centauri even attempted to convince humans that they were a lost colony, thus explaining the superficial similarities between the two species.Midnight on the Firing Line They even went to far as to pick up on an Earth practice - prevalent at the time - of naming their secondary colonies 'Beta', so when they translated the names of their own planets and star systems into English, the Republic also used Greek lettering and since to them there could only be one "Alpha" world (Centauri Prime) many of their colonies ended up being called 'Beta', such as Centauri Beta I. According to the Centauri claim Earth was "Beta 9", however when Human scientists finally gained access to Centauri DNA and discovered the two races were not even remotely related the Centauri pleaded that their previous assertion stemmed from a clerical error and Earth was in fact "Beta 12" and dropped any further attempts to claim kinship.Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant (Page: 213/214) Decline of an Empire In 2209, after a century of oppression the Narn Resistance finally pushed the Centauri off their now ravaged homeworld, an event that coincided with a steady decline in Centauri power and influence. What was once a vast empire was now just a dozen worlds, filled with monuments to glories long since past and before long they would find themselves in direct competition with the new Narn Regime. When the Dilgar invaded the Non-Aligned sectors in 2230, the Centauri Republic secretly aided them in their conquest of many worlds (as did the Narns, ironically) though the Earth Alliance, now finally stretching it's influence came into the Dilgar War in support of the League worlds. With their help the Dilgar were driven back and ultimately wiped out when Omelos's star went supernova.Deathwalker (episode) The Humans did however eventually trip up and get pulled into a war as the Centauri had predicted but it was the wrong war. Their new-found power and confidence lead them to arrogance and stupidity when they decided, against Centauri advice to send an explorer division into Minbari space to assess what if any threat this ancient and mysterious race might pose. The resulting first contact was an absolute catastrophe and tragedy of galactic proportions. The Earth ships encountered a small fleet of Minbari ships and the Human Captain misinterpreted the Warrior Caste sign of respect of approaching with gun ports open as a prelude to attack and opened fire on the lead ship. In the ensuing firefight, Chosen One Dukhat of the Grey Council who was killed aboard the damaged vessel and the Minbari responded with an uncontrollable fury, sparking a holy war that could only end in the complete annihilation of Earth itself. The Earth government asked the Republic for aid and strategic support, but were categorically told no. The Republic had no intention of risking the possibility that they might share the Minbari's vengeance by assisting their new enemies, forcing the Alliance to instead turn to the Narn Regime for weapons supplies - much of which was in fact captured or replicated Centauri technology. As the war progressed the Republic became concerned that the Narns were using the war to establish closer ties with the Humans and so issued orders to disrupt or prevent their efforts. Londo Mollari, the liaison to the Centauri delegation on Earth discovered through his network of spies on Narn and Minbar that a secret Narn mission carrying Humans was bound for the Epsilon System and so ordered an attack, assuming it was an arms shipment. It wasn't until afterwards that he realised it was a secret meeting between Earth and Minbar and that the Centauri had just annihilated any hope of a negotiated peace.In the Beginning (Novelization) The war did eventually end, but not as any would have predicted with the Minbari's mysterious surrender at the Battle of the Line while on the very edge a final victory. References }} Category:Governments Category:Interstellar Alliance Category:Centauri Republic